Locking hair-fastener



R. C. JONES.

'l.0,CKING HAIR FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED MAYZ, 1921.

Patented July 19, 1921..

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nor 0. JONES, or CHICAGO, II.I.INoIs.

LOCKING- HAIR-FASTENEB.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 19, 1921.

Application filed May 2, 1921. Serial No. 466,104. 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Roy C. JONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvcment in Looking Hair-Fasteners, anddeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescriptionof thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertainsto make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing/g, which form a part of this specification.

y invention has for its object to produce a, simple and novelconstruction and arrangement by means of which two pron effect, beconveniently and positivel connected or locked together at their polntsor free ends after insertion into the hair; so as not only to lock thefastener into the hair and prevent it from accidentally dropping out butat the same time causing the fastener to act as a tie or binding meansfor a thick lock or strand of hair or for several overlying locks orstrands or portion of a coil or braid.

In accordance with my invention I form one of the two prongs with apassage extending lengthwise trough the same, one end of the passageopening out of the top or base of the fastener and the other end openingout of the prong near the point or free end thereof through the sidefacing the other PIOIlgfithG passage thus bein bent or deflectedlaterally near its loWer end. In the other prong I place an opening,which may take the form of an eye, at a point on the inner side lyingapproximately in a continuation of the long axis of thelaterallyextending portion of thepassage. I also provide a thinresilient wire having on one end a head, this wire being completelywithdrawn when the fastener is placed in the hair and being then pusheddown into the passage until Its inner end merges from the prong near thepoint thereof and passes laterally across the space between the prongsand into the opening in the second prong where it forms the interlockwith the latter. The wire is preferably provided with a head and is madeof just the right length to form the interlock when the w re is pushedin as far as the head will permit.

The various features of novelty whereb m invention is characterized willhereina ter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for afull understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages,reference may be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

F igure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a hairpin arranged in accordance with the present lnvention;

F 1g. 2 is a top plan oredge view of the hair pin; and

Fig. 3 is a view of the locking wire detached from the hair pin.

Referring to the drawing, 1 and 2 represent the two prongs of a hair pinpointed at t g their one end as indicated at 3 and connected of a hairpin or other halr fastener may, in

2, near the free end or point. A passage extending lengthwise throughthe upper portion of the prong l and the bend 5 may conveniently beobtained by making at least this prong out of a small tube. An inlet endfor the passage is obtained by punching or drilling a hole, 6, throughthe wall of the tube at thebase of the prong, while an outlet from thepassage is secured by forming a hole, 7, in the wall of the prong on theinner side thereof at the extreme inner end of the bend. In the prong 2,opposite the outlet 7, is a hole, 8, which in thearrangement shown,takes the form of an eye; this hole or eye being placed approximately ona continuation oftthe longitudinal axis of the bent portion, 5, of thetube. If the prong 2 be left straight it will narrow the passage betwenthe prongs at the points and I therefore prefer to bend the prong 2, asindicated at 2, away from the other pron and paralleling the bend 5 inthe latter;

thus maintaining a substantial uniform ls'papiplg between the prongsthroughout their 'fhe locking device consists of a long thin springwire, 9, having at one end a suitable head, 10, and being preferablypointed at its other end. The wire is of such a length that when it isthrust down into the passageway as far as the head thereon will permitit to go, the pointed end will be deflected laterally by the bend 5 andbe directed through the outlet end of thepassage and thence into thehole or eye in the opposite prong. Where the hole extends entirelythrough the prong, as shown, so as to form an eye, it permits thepointed end to extend far enough through the prong 2 to insure that theshort bridging piece between the two prongs cannot bend sufliclently towithdraw the pointed end from the-hole and thus release the interlock,through any pull which may come upon the, )in in-actual use, even thoughthe locking wire be made thin and light.

It will be seen that there is no permanent connection between thepin'andthe locking wire, the intention being that the wire shall be pulledcompletely out of the .pin before the latter is placed in the hair. Thepin is thenthrust into the hole, 6, forming the inlet end of the passagein the prong '1 and, as it is pushed inwardly, places itself in theposition illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1, thus forming a tie'orclamp around substantially the entire mass of hair which may liebetweenthe prongs of the pin. My improved construction permits'the wireto be made light and flexible so that it may be easily pushed in ordrawn out, the resiliency thereof, which tends to straightenthe wire atthe'upper angle ofthe bend, serving to press the wire against the wallsof the tube fo'rcefullyenough to cause the wire to be held in place "byfriction; If desired, the lowerend of the wire may be given an initialsfetat an angle or along a curvature less than that which it must assumewhen in position in" the pin, namely as indicated at 11 in Fig.

' so that if the wire is propely held when inserted in the pin, it willhave a natural tendency to enter the bend in the tube when it reachesthe latter. i

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend tocover all, forms and arrangements which come within the terms of thedefinitions of my invention constituting the appended claims .I wish itto be further understood that my invention is not limited to hair pinsalthough I have, for the sake of brevity,

limited the detailed description to the hair pin illustrated; but myinvention is applicable to hair fasteners 'of any kind in which thereare two "prongs adjacent to each other.

I claim:

' 1. 'A hair fastener having two prongs arranged side by side andconnected together at their bases, one of said prongs having 7 an openended passage extending lengthwise through the same from the base to apoint on the inner side near the free end of the prong, the other pronghaving near the free end thereof an opening facing the adjacent open endof said passage, and a light resilient wire long enough to extendthrough said passage and across the space between the'prongs and intosaid opening.

2. A hair fastener having two prongs arranged side by side and connectedtogether at their bases, one of said prongs having an open ended passageextending lengthwise through the same from the base to a point on theinner side near the free end of the prong, the other prong having nearthe free end'th'ereof an opening facing the adjacent open end of saidpassage, and a light resilient wire long enough to extend through saidpassage and across the space between the prongs and into said opening,said wire having on one end a head adapted to limit the entrance of thewire into said passage and constitute a finger piece by means of whichthe wire may be withdrawn from said passa e.

0 3. K hair fastener having two prongs arranged side by side andconnected together at their bases, one of said prongs havin near thefree end an inward lateral bend: there being in the bent prong an openended passage extending from the base lengthwise through the prong andthrough the oifset or bend therein, the other prong having therein anopening lying amproximately in a continuation of a line passinglengthwise of said offset or bend; and a light resilient wire longenough to extend through said passage, across the space between theprongs, and into said opening.

4:. A hair fastener having two prongs arranged side by side andconnected together at their bases, one of said prongs having near thefree end an inward lateral bend, there being in the bent prong an openended passage extending from the base lengthwise through the prong andthrough the offset or bend therein, 'the other prong having therein aneye lying approximately in a continuation of a line passing lengthwiseof said offset or bend; and a light resilient wire long enough to extendthrough said passage, across the space between the prongs and throughsaid eye.

5. A hair fastener having two prongs arranged side by side and connectedtogether at their bases, one of said prongs having near the free end aninward lateral bend, there being in the bent prong an open ended passageextending from the base lengthwise through the prong and through theoffset or bend therein, the other prong having therein an opening lyingapproximately in a continuation of a line passing lengthwise of saidoffset or bend; and a light resilient wire long enough to extend throughsaid passage, across the space between the prongs, and into saidopening, said wire having on one end a head adapted to limit theentrance of the wire into said passage and form a finger piece by meansof which the wire may be withdrawn from said passage.

6. A hair fastener having two prongs arranged side by side and connectedtogether at their bases, both prongs being bent laterally in the samedirection near their free ends, the bend in one prong being directedtoward the second prong, there being in the 5 first prong an open-endedpassage extending from the base lengthwise therethrough and through thebend therein, the second 'pron havm therein an openm 1 in apg g g 7 gproxlmately m a continuation of a llne passing lengthwise of the bend inthe first 10 prong; and a resilient wire long enough to extend throughsaid passage, across the space between the prongs, and into said opemng.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

ROY C. JONES.

